Family Name
by Bean1212
Summary: Raven Rider is a genius. She graduated high school at age fourteen, has been in college just for fun ever since, and works for SHIELD. Her mother was abandoned by her father the night her and her twin sister were conceived, and doesn't even know the twins exist. What happens when SHIELD reassigns her to look after the very man who never knew she extisted?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_They call it the "invisible gene." They don't know what it is, they don't know why it's there. All they know is that it exists somehow somewhere in some of our bodies. It's, for all intents and purposes, invisible. _

_It's like an epidemic, sweeping through the countries of North America, South America, Australia, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Antarctica has no life to be effected, but no doubt it would affect there too if there was human life. There are few places the invisible gene has not been spotted. _

_It was first found in—_

A knock sounds from the door and I shut my notebook, hiding it in between a few of my school books. I hide all proof that I was working on something other than school work before making my way out of my bedroom and toward the front door.

"Raven Rider." Everything about the man at the door screams military, from his black army grade combat boots to his leather jacket. It makes me tense and stand straighter almost immediately.

"What do you want?" My voice is just as professional and detached as the man at the door. Silently, the man extends his hand, a small black phone resting face-up on his palm.

I fold my arms across my chest and raise my eyebrows at his commanding movement, but make no move to reach for the phone. The man nods toward the phone in his hand, telling me to pick it up, but I just raise my eyebrows higher.

"Director Fury would like to speak to you." the man says eventually, his voice tight as he raises the phone higher.

"What did I tell him about the strange late-night phone calls? It's unacceptable to just show up unannounced in the middle of the night and-"

"It's about your father."

Before the agent can even finish the word father, I have snatched the phone and pulled him all the way into the apartment, slamming the door.

"What happened? Is he okay?" I demand into the phone before Director Fury can react.

"Agent Rider, I'm so glad you are awake." The director's tone is cold and calculated, unemotional as always.

"What happened?" I demand, my grip on the phone tightening minutely.

"Relax, Rider. He is fine." Director sighs quietly.

"Then why the hell did you call? Just to scare me half to death?"

"He could have been…" the director pauses and I hiss at his dramatics, "Not fine."

"Thanks for the update. If that's all, I have research and school work to get back to." I say, preparing to hang up the phone.

"Not so fast, Agent Rider. You are being reassigned."

"Reassigned? You're joking." I say coldly, biting my lip to keep from exploding.

"I don't joke, Agent Rider." The director says tiredly.

"You have to be! I have been working on this project for a year! I am so close to understanding the gene that I can literally taste it! I dream about it when I sleep, which isn't often because I spend almost twenty-four hours a day working on it. My sister, who I used to spend every waking moment with, thinks I'm avoiding her! And we live together. You can't take me off of this!" I shout into the phone, pulling at my hair with my free hand.

"Agent Rider, I am the director of SHIELD and your boss. I will not tolerate being treated as an equal or an inferior. Any more infractions like this, and I will demote you right back down the ladder. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." I say, standing straighter at the cold tone of voice he uses.

"Good. Now how do you feel about meeting your father?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

New York City is a pile of rubble. For a three mile radius around Stark Tower, not one building stands to its full height. Cars are overturned and laying in the middle of the road, rubble from the skyscrapers liters the sidewalks. Nothing is recognizable and the closer we get to Stark Tower, the worse the damage gets.

"How do you'll think he'll react?" Kaitlynn asks, squinting up at the top, open floor of Stark Tower where we can see a small group of people converged on the ledge.

"Director Fury told him yesterday. He has refused to talk to any SHIELD agent since. Almost blew up Coulson's head." I smile, imagining Fury's reaction to that little incident.

"I thought Coulson was dead." Kaitlynn says, jogging to keep up to my longer strides.

"Nah. It was faked. One of my… research assistants healed him: no problem." I mumble, squinting up at Stark Tower.

"Right. Research assistant. Mutant freak is more like it." Kaitlynn teases, making me roll my eyes.

"You're just jealous that you don't have a cool invisible gene." I laugh, sticking my tongue out.

"I think mine is pretty cool." Kaitlynn defends herself.

"Right. Because empathy is the queen of all abilities." I snort.

"Mimicry isn't that cool either, hot stuff."

"Listen here, Kait-"

"Calm down, Raven. You've caught fire." A voice sounds from in front of us and I look up in surprise. I'd been so focused on our fight that I hadn't noticed how close we were to Stark Tower.

"Sorry, Coulson. Haven't quite learned to control that one yet." I cringe, noticing the people behind him. Coulson just smiles and walks forward, pulling Kaitlynn into a hug.

"How are you, Agent Rider?" Coulson smiles at me, holding his hand out.

"I've been better." I grin, shaking his hand.

"How-? Why-? What-"

"How the hell was your hand on fire?" the red head assassin interrupts the blonde super soldier, looking at my hands as if I'm hiding something. She sounds more curious and threatened than aggressive so I fight the urge to flee.

"Confidential, Agent Romanoff. Fury hasn't given me leave to speak of it. Though I can give you three guesses." I smirk, holding up three fingers. Coulson rolls his eyes, but doesn't stop my game as he motions for us all to follow him back in the tower.

"Science experiment." Tony Stark speaks up from the back of the group, his sharp eyes tearing into my back.

"Strike one." I grin, putting a finger down.

"A curse," the demigod intones, his voice serious and his eyes straining to look at my hands.

"Strike two," Kaitlynn sings, looking back from where she walks with Coulson.

"What else could it be? A strange affinity for fire?" Archer dude snorts.

"Strike three, you're out!" Kaitlynn and I sing together, making a strike out motion with our hands. Something silver flies from my hands and hits a light, making us all duck as sparks fly.

"That's new." I comment when Coulson turns to glare at me.

"Could you try not to destroy this place any further?" He demands in exasperation, sounding more like an annoyed uncle than an angry employer.

"You try controlling something you don't understand. It is a lot harder than it looks." I sigh, looking at my hand and flexing it to see if I could reenact the silver disk. Nothing happens and I sigh.

"How long have strange things been happening?" Bruce Banner asks, coming forward to walk beside me. His eyes are alight with interest.

"Since I was born. But this isn't the weirdest thing that has happened, and I have it mostly under control. Though I would advise you to never touch my skin." I shrug, looking at the elevator Coulson is cramming everyone into.

"Yeah. No. What floor?" I say as soon as I see the metal death trap.

"All the way at the top. The staircase just sort of opens up now." Coulson smiles at my aversion to metal boxes. He once dared me to ride in one on base. He's never asked again.

"I'll go with you." Stark stops beside me and sends me a nervous smile, which looks more like a grimace than anything. I take a deep breath and offer a quick jerk of my head, looking into the elevator at my sister.

She gives me a little finger wave, smirking smugly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"So…" Stark mumbles for the fifteenth time, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Say it." I say, stopping on the landing and glaring at Stark.

"Say what?" He asks, looking at me with wide eyes.

"You know what." I demand, raising my eyebrows. Stark just sighs and closes his eyes.

"You and mini-you are the result of my super-sperm."

I purse my lips and try not to laugh at how awkward he sounded. Stark is just standing in front of me, trying not to look in my direction.

"You could not have made that statement more awkward." I finally grin, looking at the ground and chuckling.

"This whole situation is awkward." Stark mumbles, pouting like a child.

"Blame Fury for that. I do." I sigh, leaning against the wall behind me.

"Why?" Stark asks, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Kaity and I have known you were our father since we were fourteen. Fury made us not tell anyone. At the time, I was still the perfect little recruit that thought the sun rose in Fury's eye patch." I mutter, making Stark smile.

"Please tell me you don't worship the man." he grins, looking less awkward.

"Let's just say that Fury is as scared of me as everyone is of him," I grin, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my favorite mission trophy.

"Is that his eye patch?" Stark laughs, reaching out and taking it.

"I was mad that he reassigned me without asking or letting me continue my work. So I nabbed it while he napped on the helicarrier." I grin.

"I'm keeping this. Come on, Mini-Me. Let's go meet the group." Stark starts almost running up the stairs and I roll my eyes.

"I'm not a mini-you!" I shout after him, not running to keep up. I smile to myself as I follow him-glad that it went well. He's still awkward about it, but at least it isn't as bad as it could be.

"My daughter is a bad-ass!" Stark is shouting when I finally reach the top of the stairs. The entire group is gathered in the center of the room, looking at Stark like he's crazy as he holds the eye patch high above his head.

"Is that Fury's eye patch?" Agent Romanoff asks, raising her eyebrows. Her expression is neutral as she glances at me, but I just shrug instead of taking credit for it. With the senior agents, you never know when one will tell on you.

"That's where you went!" Kaitlynn exclaims, her eyes comically wide. Beside her, Coulson sighs and closes his eyes tiredly.

"Fury will kill you." he mutters, rubbing his forehead.

"Nah. I've done worse." I deflect, joining the group.

Everyone is looking at me like I am crazy now and Stark is practically beaming. Kaitlynn rolls her eyes when our gaze meets and goes right back to her new favorite hobby: ogling Captain America.

"So why are you here? Other than the fact that you are Stark's daughters." Archer dude asks, his voice tense. The fact that he's never met me is probably grating on his nerves considering he's met most of the important agents.

"We aren't sure. Fury was supposed to tell us last night, but never got around to it." Kaitlynn mumbles, looking at the ground.

"Are you bad-ass, too, Kaity-bug?" Stark asks from where he sits playing with the eye patch. Kaitlynn grins and shakes her head.

"Nah. I'm just one of Rave's _research assistants_." Kaitlynn says, rolling her eyes. I snort and wink at Coulson, who just shakes his head.

"Agent Rider isn't a normal agent. She is more of a scientist or researcher whose job is to help SHIELD get ahead in a game no one else plays." Coulson explains, looking down at his phone.

"What do you research?" Banner asks, looking at me with interest. I look at Coulson and he smiles, holding up his phone.

"Fury says go ahead."

"Genetics. Specifically, a theoretical gene called the invisible gene that carries information needed for abilities the usual man does not have." I say, trying to find an easy way to explain it.

"You have it." Agent Romanoff nods, seeming to relax a bit knowing that I'm not holding some strange weapon.

"Yes. I am one of the first actual recorded carriers. So is Kaitlynn." I nod. Stark looks up again with a grin.

"My super-sperm gave you super-powers!" he chuckles.

"That sounded perverted, Old Man. Don't say that." I say, shaking my head and trying not to smile. Kaitlynn is giggling so hard beside Coulson she has to lean on him for support.

"So what sort of abilities does it give?" Archer Dude asks from where he crouches.

"You should know. I'm almost one hundred percent positive you are a carrier." I shrug, meeting his gaze. Archer dude raises his eyebrows, but says nothing.

"What do you mean?" Agent Romanoff demands. I smile but don't break my eyes from archer dude.

"You never miss a shot. Do you, Agent Barton? You never have. No matter what kind of weapon or ammo, you always hit your target. The only time it fails is when your emotions are too strong." I smirk when his eyes widen.

"It's not a secret that I have great aim." he says, standing up fully and folding his arms over his chest.

"Why don't we have a contest to prove he has it, Rave? A shooting contest?" Kaitlynn grins all of the sudden, jumping up and down. Coulson literally bursts out laughing and everyone looks at him in surprise. I guess they've never seen him laugh.

"You want to. Give her. A gun?" Coulson breathes out, leaning down and putting his hands on his knees. I fold my arms over my chest and glare at my sister and Coulson, who studiously ignore me.

"Are you that bad?" Stark asks, smiling at me.

"This is going to be fun." Coulson grins. I sigh.

Fun. Right.

**Author's Note: **

**Hey, everybody! I know that author's notes get really old, really fast, so I will try not to put one very often. But I would really like everybody's feedback on this story. I want to know if you like it, if you hate it, if there is something you want to see. Any comments are welcome, especially constructive criticism. And if you have any major questions about the plot, I would be happy to answer them. As for my update schedule, once I get started it should be around once a week or so. Hope you guys enjoy the story! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"How will this prove anything?" Agent Romanoff asks, raising her eyebrows at Coulson as he hands me his gun.

"First I'll prove how terrible my aim is, and we'll go from there." I sigh, holding the gun away from my body with disgust.

"If you could avoid damaging any more of my property, I would appreciate it." Stark mutters from what remains of his couch.

"Choose a target, Agent Barton." Kaitlynn grins, motioning to the ledge. Archer dude gives her a look that says exactly what he thinks about this little project but obediently walks to the ledge. I follow slowly behind him.

"Do you think you could hit that sign?" he finally asks, motioning to a sign across the street and several stories lower.

"I couldn't hit it if it was right in front of my face, Agent Barton. But it seems fair enough." I reply, grimacing when I look down.

"How did you become an agent if you're that bad at shooting?" he asks, turning to look at me as he preps his handgun.

"Fury is more scared of what I can do than what I can't. He figured it was safer to have me under his thumb." I smile, watching as he aims his gun.

"Same time?" he asks, looking at me. I nod and pull the gun up, getting ready to shoot.

"Wait!" Stark calls from behind us, making us turn to look.

"I'll go referee." Before I realize what he's doing, Stark's in his Ironman suit flying toward the street. Kaitlynn bursts out laughing at my face.

"You just met the man, Rave. Try not to shoot him."

"I can't control it, Kait. If I shoot him, though, I'll never live it down." I mutter back, grimacing at the thought.

"Ready?" Coulson asks. Barton and I nod at each other and turn back to the ledge. Stark is hovering just beside the sign, giving us a thumbs up to show he's ready. I hold the gun up and aim at the sign, praying that whatever happens I don't shoot Stark. Beside me, Barton aims his own gun as if he does it every day. Which, now that I think about it, isn't that far from the truth.

"Fire." Coulson says. Taking a deep breath, I pull the trigger, hoping against hope that I don't hit Stark.

The gun shots ring out through the empty part of the city and I lower my gun, trying to see if I hit anything potentially important. Stark is still in place, looking at the sign with his head cocked to the side. Beside me, Barton is squinting at the sign with interest. Finally, he turns to me and grins.

"I think you missed." he says, coughing to hide a chuckle.

"Yeah. At least I didn't hit anything vital." I grin back, running my hand through my hair. Stark lands back on the ledge and shakes his head at me.

"You are bad, Hot Stuff. It wasn't anywhere near the sign. Barton, you hit the lady straight in the eye."

"Now how will you prove that he has the gene or whatever? I don't think you thought this through." Agent Romanoff says, raising her eyebrows at me.

"My ability to mimic someone else's ability is dependent on skin contact. Most of the abilities I can mimic, came from bumping into someone on the street. So, Agent Barton, if you would shake my hand. Without the gloves, please." I say, turning to archer dude and holding out my right hand. He looks surprised but takes his right glove off and takes my hand in his.

Immediately, I feel an electric shock travel up my arm and through my body. Archer dude obviously feels it, too, as he jerks his hand back. The dizziness begins and I crouch low to the ground, focusing on staying grounded and not falling over. It feels like I'm floating and drowning all at once, the world seeming to fade as my entire being focuses on acclimating itself.

"No. Don't touch her. It makes it worse." Kaitlynn's voice cuts through the haze and I shake my head to clear the cobwebs.

"I'm good." I say, nodding as I look up. Bruce and Agent Barton are both kneeling beside me with Captain America crouching in front of me. I can feel Stark and Romanoff at my back.

"You were out for almost five minutes." Bruce says, looking at me worriedly. I smile and shake my head again to shake off the rest of the dizziness.

"It comes with a downside. Compared to what's happened before, that wasn't too bad." I shrug, standing fully. The others stand as well and everyone moves in front of me to make sure I'm really all right.

Everything looks different, sharper. Things stand out that shouldn't, like minuscule dust particles in the air. Each movement attracts my gaze like a magnet, which is a weird feeling considering I had never noticed how often Kaitlynn switches stances.

"Dude, you're hyperaware." I say with wide eyes, trying to take it all in. I can feel everything around me and can practically feel the energy in the room.

"Is that what you call it?" Archer dude grins, watching me with amusement. I just nod and look around me again.

"I'm going to hit the sign this time." I grin in excitement, picking up the gun from where I dropped it. Everyone moves out of the way as I walk to the ledge and take aim for the sign. I can see it almost perfectly. With a deep breath, I pull the trigger. Stark takes off to check the sign, but I know I've made it.

"Look at that," Stark says when he comes back," Barton has a super power, too. Though I'm pretty sure he didn't get his from me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"You flew us all the way to New York just to turn around and five hours later fly us back to California?" I say in disbelief, looking at Coulson. He just shrugs and turns to Kaitlynn to continue whatever boring conversation they were having before the quinjet arrived.

"You live in California?" Bruce Banner sits down in the seat beside me and I smile at him.

"Kaitlynn was going to school there while I did my research. We had a small apartment in L.A."

"I've never been to L.A. I'm not a fan of crowded places." Bruce grimaces and I smile at him warmly.

"I don't see why you had to take it out on Harlem, though." I comment, smiling to show I was joking. He gives me a small smile but it doesn't last long.

"I know how hard it is to control something you don't understand." he says, rubbing his arm in what seems a comforting manner.

"If the footage from the battle is anything to go by, you're beginning to understand. That's more than I can say." I smile. He smiles back before closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall.

"You still mimicking Barton, Hot Stuff?" Stark asks from where he still stands on the roof.

"No. It was giving me a headache so I shut it off. I don't know how you live with that, Barton." I smirk at archer dude who is standing by Stark and Romanoff.

"I'm probably just used to it." he shrugs, smiling at me.

"You're body was made to be hyperaware so it wouldn't bother you. My body has to shift and temporarily change itself to mimic your ability and it becomes uncomfortable after a while." I agree.

"Hey, Hot Stuff. How old are you?" Stark calls up, not looking up from his cell phone.

"Nineteen. Why?" I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

"So I was your age when my super-sperm created you?"

"Stop calling it super-sperm, Old Man. It's disturbing." Kaitlynn says, looking around Coulson at Stark.

"I'm not an old man." Stark defends, looking up in surprise and indignation.

"Barton how old are you?" Kaitlynn asks.

"Twenty-nine." he says slowly.

"Bruce?"

"Thirty-five." Bruce doesn't even flinch.

"Captain?"

"Way older than they are, Ma'am." the blonde smiles, his face pink.

"How old were you when you were frozen?"

"Twenty-seven, Ma'am."

"Coulson?"

"None of your business," Coulson says, making the rest of us laugh.

"Stark, how old are you?"

"I don't have to tell you." Stark deflects at the same time Coulson says, " He's thirty-eight."

"You really are an old man, Stark." I grin, loving the look on his face when he realizes how young his teammates really are compared to him. Stark just sticks his tongue out at me and goes back to his phone.

"Everybody ready to go?" Romanoff asks, climbing into the quinjet. Barton follows and I watch as he walks to the front of the aircraft. It gives me a very nice view.

"I'll meet you guys at the house. I'm going to make sure everything is ready. Hot Stuff, Kaity-bug, be safe." Stark gives us a little wave and then walks back toward the living area of the tower. I lean back against the wall of the quinjet and take deep breaths, trying to relax. In and out. In and out.

"How do you do that?" Someone's voice interrupts my concentration. I open my eyes to find an amused Bruce standing in front of me.

"How do I do what?" I ask, sitting up straight. Everyone is up and moving about, stretching and pacing the small space.

"We've been in the air for two hours and you haven't moved an inch."

"Kait and I once had a friend who could put himself into a sleep state whenever he felt like it. And since I am deathly afraid of flying, I mimic him a lot." I shrug, standing up.

"That's a handy trick."

"It would be handier if it didn't make me so dang tired." I mutter back, trying not to yawn.

"Bruce, can I have a moment alone with my sister?" Kaitlynn asks, coming over from where she'd been talking with Coulson. Bruce smiles at me and walks away.

"What's up?" I ask, turning to my sister.

"I saw," she says, smiling at me triumphantly.

"Saw what?" I ask, trying not to blush. I know exactly what she's talking about and it's just my luck that she noticed the one thing I wish she wouldn't.

"Come on, Rave. I'm not an idiot. And you may be a secret agent, but you can't keep a secret from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, trying my best to be nonchalant. Kaitlynn just grins and leans in close to me.

"You think Barton's cute." She whispers, winking at me.

"What are we, Kaitlynn? Five?" I snort, folding my arms over my chest.

"You're acting like it. It's not a crime to like someone." Kaitlynn smiles at me and leans back.

"Shut up-and no meddling." I say, trying me best to be firm. Kaitlynn just rolls her eyes and looks at Barton over her shoulder.

"I bet he thinks you're cute, too." She grins. I freeze as she walks away from me. Kaitlynn has a history of putting her nose where it doesn't belong. And this could end very badly.

Or very good. Very, very good.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Dang. Our dad has style." Kaitlynn comments, looking up at the modern styles mansion. I just nod in agreement, falling behind the others as Stark leads us into the house. It's huge and spacious, making me feel less claustrophobic than before. Flying across the country and then piling into a limo with Stark, all the Avengers, and my sister left me almost panicking by the time we finally arrived.

"This is my Malibu mansion." Stark says grandly, stopping in the middle of the living room and turning to us with wide gestures. His grin is almost contagious in its excitement.

"It's awesome." Kaitlynn comments from beside me, grinning at Stark.

"You can thank me for that." I turn to the staircase in surprise to find a tall redheaded woman coming down the stairs. She's holding an iPhone in her right hand and the railing with her left, smiling specifically at Kaitlynn and I.

"Pepper, these are my kids!" Stark shouts, pushing through the other Avengers to come stand between Kaitlynn and I. "They didn't turn out half bad!"

"That doesn't mean it's because of you, Tony." Pepper smiles fondly, coming to stop in front of the three of us.

"My super sperm gave them super powers!" Stark argues back, folding his arms over his chest like a child. I snort and shake my head, sharing a strangely comfortable smile with Pepper.

"I'm not even going to point out how wrong that sounds, Tony." Pepper says tiredly, looking toward the other Avengers. She spots Coulson and immediately grins.

"Phil, so good to see you." She says, walking over to the agent and hugging him. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I've seen Coulson laugh so hard he cried. I've seen him so stiff he looked like a statue. But never once have I seen him hug someone that wasn't my sister.

"It's good to see you, too, Pepper." He smiles quietly as she pulls away, rolling his eyes at my raised eyebrows.

"Everybody, gather round!" Stark yells, seeming surprised to find himself not the center of attention. Kaitlynn and I move forward to stand with the others, and by some cosmic joke I end up next to archer dude. Which Kaitlynn makes sure I notice by sharply jabbing her elbow into my ribs. Before I can get onto her, Stark has launched into his monologue.

"You're welcome for the awesome rooms. Down that hallway. Names are on the doors." Stark pauses and looks into the air, as if trying to remember something. Pepper rolls her eyes and steps forward, obviously not impressed by his less-than-awesome speech.

"Please, make this your home. We have almost anything you could need for comfortable living. There's a pool and a workout room and a living room with a huge TV. If you want some space to relax away from everyone, the front yard is huge, private and the perfect place to take a nap. If you need anything, anything at all, please let me know." Pepper smiles at all of us, looking longer at my sister and I, before she steps back and plays on her phone. Everyone except Coulson begins to move off toward the indicated hallway, but then Stark makes a constipated sound behind us.

"One more thing." he grins, moving up and down on the balls of his feet impatiently. "JARVIS?"

I sigh when he talks to the ceiling, thinking it's a shame I couldn't meet him before he lost his marbles. When something actually answers, I almost incinerate everything within a mile of my hands in surprise.

"Sir?"

"Introduce yourself. I don't pay you to sit on your butt." Stark says, pretending to sound annoyed.

"I'm a computer, Sir. You don't pay me at all." the voice says and I grin.

"An AI? How long did it take to set up?" I grin, loving the look of surprise still on everyone else's faces.

"Not long considering I'm a, you know, genius." Stark says, making me snort.

"It took him longer than he would like to admit, Agent Rider." JARVIS says, making Stark sputter in protest and everyone else laugh.

"JARVIS can do basically anything you want him to. Wake-up calls, running the electronics, giving directions. If you can't find Pepper, ask him." Stark mutters, looking a little put-out that the AI seems to have inherited a bit of his snarky Stark-ness.

We all nod and turn towards the hallway, relieved the welcome is over. Kaitlynn looks completely worn out and I feel the same way just thinking about what she must be going through. She's an empath of amazing strength and, while she hides it well, I know that feeling everybody's emotions twenty-four/seven takes a toll on her own mental, emotional, and physical state. Today was a day of high emotions for the both of us and I have no idea how she's still conscious considering how little she has slept since she found out we were going to meet our father.

"Agent Rider, please stay behind." Coulson calls, sounding all business once again. Kaitlynn gives me a panicked look but I give her a reassuring smile, telling her I'll find her when I'm done. That seems to do the trick and she follows the others out of the room.

"Yes, Sir?" I ask, standing in front of Coulson. Stark and Pepper are whispering over in the corner and I let my eyes rest on them for a moment before meeting the older agent's gaze, which seems to be conveying more than just professional emotions. He looks worried, relieved, happy, and sad all at once.

"Stay with the Avengers. Keep them under control. You can continue to write report for the director, but no more research. This is only temporary and you can go right back to the full time research at the University once we find a permanent liaison for the Avengers. Understood?"

"So I'm basically a temporary babysitter until you can find a full-time nanny?" I smirk, folding my arms over my chest.

"You and Kaitlynn are, yes. Agents Barton and Ramanoff won't be a problem, but Tony and Thor are likely to get into trouble. Not to mention the Captain's need to be brought up to speed and Dr. Banner's anger issues." Coulson says, fixing me with The Look-the one mom's usually have. He has it perfected.

"Isn't this your job?" I ask, trying not to sound whiny.

"It was. But after the incident with Loki the director is loath to let me leave the office." I can perfectly hear the annoyance in Coulson's voice and I chuckle at his facial expression.

"He _loooooooves_ you, Phyllis. It's a good thing." I grin, patting his arm. Coulson just purses his lips and glares at me, and I can tell he's resisting the urge to tell me I'm grounded.

"Keep your phone on you and the director will check-in." Coulson says shortly when Stark and Pepper walk over.

"I'll do this on one condition." I say, ignoring the others. Coulson just raises his eyebrows in a silent dare and I smile. As if I wouldn't dare to ask.

"The director won't let you study Barton for your research, Rider. That information is confidential."

"As if I would give that information to the University! I do have more class than that. But think about the advantages it could have for SHIELD. Understanding how the gene works in one of your top agents. It could open doors for all sorts of things." I say, trying to sound convincing. I can mimic the ability to control someone's mind, but it would wear off before he even got back to the helicarrier and I would be worse than grounded. But I want to study Barton. Like so bad I can taste it. And it's not just because I find him cute.

"I'll think about it. In the mean time, keep in touch."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long to update. Some family stuff came up and I lost the desire to write. However, I am officially back to writing and we should get to a once a week maybe twice a week schedule. Life's sort of difficult right now, though, so I'm not so sure. I would really love your feedback, too. It helps me find the inspiration to write and continue on. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"You and Phil are pretty close." Pepper smiles after Coulson leaves, handing me a water bottle. I was feeling a bit thirsty so she'd taken me to the kitchen for a drink before going to find Kaity.

"He was close to my mom, and he took us in after she passed." I nod, keeping it short and simple. Pepper smiles sadly and sits down at the counter, setting her phone down.

"How old were you?"

"We had just turned nine. She was sick for a long time, so it wasn't a surprise, but…" I sigh, sitting down beside her.

"You were just kids. I get it." She says. I laugh bitterly and shake my head.

"Yeah, but we weren't normal. We had these weird abilities that we couldn't control, that no one could understand… Mom was the one person who never judged us for it, and she was gone before we really needed her support. Not to mention I was the creepy genius kid and Kaity was the weird emotional one." I smirk, taking a big gulp of water.

"Why didn't you find Tony earlier? He would have supported you." Pepper says, leaning toward me. I snort.

"He was still in the party-all-night stage. And don't try to say he wasn't. Kaity and I needed a lot of looking after and Stark probably couldn't have handled it. Coulson barely could, and he's trained to handle the incredibly weird." I grin, remembering the torture Kaity and I put him through, not all of it accidental.

"Thank God people change." Pepper grins, taking a drink of her own water. I smirk and lean forward.

"So are you officially an item or is it a _I-want-to-be-with-you-but-it-would-be-unprofession al_ type situation?" I ask, watching as she laughs.

"We're official. Sort of." Stark interrupts, popping in from the other room, his eyes glued to his phone. I roll my eyes and lean back.

"I need to go find Kaity, make sure she's okay." I say, standing and stretching. I'm still exhausted from mimicking Isaac on the quinjet. Stark ruffles my hair as I pass, muttering something about finally having adorable mini-people around.

The hallway our rooms are on is wide, curved, and really long. The rooms must be huge, because the doors are more spaced out than most hotels. The first rooms belong to the Captain, Bruce, and Thor. Around the corner from them are Agents Romanoff and Barton. Kaitlynn and I are situated at the very end of the hallway across from each other. I go into my room first, curious about how Stark decorates.

The room is too big, I decide, glaring at the bed. It alone is freaking huge-almost bigger than my tiny room in the apartment in L.A. Beside the bed are matching bedside tables that hold matching lamps. Leaning on the right lamp is a note and I walk over to it slowly, taking in the rest of the room.

It's painted silver, with black lining. I don't know how Stark found out my favorite colors, but I'm glad he did. It's makes the enormous room with the flat screen TV, couch, humungous bed, and hi-tech computer feel much more like home. Even though I've never had this type of stuff before. SHIELD doesn't exactly encourage extravagant spending like what I see here.

I pick up the note and sit on the bed, moaning at the contact. It's so soft...

_Hey, Hot Stuff. _

_Hope you like the room. I bugged Coulson until he told me your sizes and favorite colors, so blame him if it's wrong. The bathroom and closet are loaded with everything you'll need-from clothes to the once-a-month-miracle-workers. Blame Pepper if you don't like anything, she picked it out._

_Dinner with everyone tonight in the dining room. But you up for dinner tomorrow? Pepper says it's good for bonding. Three of us meet at seven? Let me know. I have a lot of time to make up for._

_So, yeah. That's it, I guess… _

_Tony_

I laugh at how awkward he sounds, even in a note. But he's trying, and that makes it awesome. I put the note back, and look around me in wonder. The room is beautiful, if a bit too much, and it makes me want to smile and never stop. Which doesn't happen to me. I'm not some weird robot or anything, but things like material possessions don't affect me. Tony's gesture, however, has me weirdly excited.

With a sigh I stand and walk to the door, shutting it quietly behind me. Without knocking, I barge into Kaitlynn's room. She's passed out on top of the covers still in her clothes from today. I smirk and take my phone out, capturing the picture for later purposes. You never know when you can use a picture of your sister drooling in her sleep as blackmail. It may sound evil, but it's the truth.

"Kaity, wake up. You need to change." I mutter, walking forward and shaking her shoulder. It takes a couple tries but finally she's conscious enough to help me change her into her sleep clothes.

"Don't think this means you're out of talking about your little crush. I will remember." Kaitlynn threatens groggily as I tuck her into the covers. I completely ignore her threat and make sure she's comfortable before I turn to leave the room.

"Go ahead and sleep through dinner, Kaity. If you get hungry in the night, talk to JARVIS." I say, moving to turn off the light. I look back at my sister's bed to find her already sound asleep. I know without a doubt that she won't wake up until tomorrow morning.

Every ability has a downside.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

I close Kaitlynn's door without a sound and turn to go toward the main room, pulling out my cell phone. I smile when I see a text from Coulson.

_How are you holding up? Need anything? _

Despite being the most bad ass secret agent I have ever met, Coulson has mothering tendencies. It's usually directed more at Kaitlynn than it is toward me, but apparently Coulson is feeling touchy-feely today. Ever since the Loki incident, which I didn't even hear about until the day after it happened when my friend mentioned healing Fury's best buddy from an almost fatal stab wound, Coulson has become more of a mother than the weird uncle who no one knows what to think of but everybody loves. I don't mind it much. I've never had a near death experience, but I can imagine how it feels to know that you came so close to losing everything. With a deep sigh, I type a quick reply.

_Kaitlynn's out. Everything's good. Talk tomorrow._

I side step something in my way and continue walking, looking up only long enough to push open the doors to the living room. I launch myself onto the couch across from the super soldier and pull up the reading app on my phone. A presence looming over me makes me look up to find the two assassins staring down at me, Agent Romanoff emotionlessly and Agent Barton with an apologetic smirk.

"I don't trust you." Agent Romanoff says after a moment of silence. She isn't being mean or offensive, just stating fact, so I offer her a small smile.

"I don't expect you to." I say, putting my phone in my lap.

"Good." Agent Romanoff nods at me and barely waits for my nod back before she's grabbed Barton's hand and dragged him toward the kitchen.

"I'm sorry for that, Miss Rider. It's—"

"Relax, Cap. I'm used to it. And it's Agent Rider or Raven, though I prefer to drop the formalities." I smile at the blonde man, picking my phone back up. He sends a hesitant smile back.

"Only if you call me Steve." he agrees, smiling wider when I nod in acknowledgement.

"Hot Stuff, can you come to the lab for me?" Stark's voice sounds from the ceiling and I raise my eyebrows.

"Where exactly is the lab?" I say toward the ceiling, feeling a bit like an idiot. I hear rustling on Stark's end and raise my eyebrows suspiciously.

"Follow the lights." he grunts, sounding farther away. I look at the floor to find a string of lights leading toward the basement stairs. I sigh and push myself off the couch, not in any hurry to get to the lab.

When I reach the lower level, Stark and Bruce are sitting on the far side, obviously arguing about something. I push the glass door open and walk through the organized chaos, completely amused by the half built gadgets littering every available surface.

"It's not offensive to want to understand," Stark was saying, rolling his eyes. Bruce just glares at Stark before turning and offering me a small smile.

"'Sup?" I ask, plopping onto a stool beside Stark. He turns to me with a grin and holds up a needle.

"Can I have some blood?" he asks, an almost manic gleam in his eyes. I roll my eyes and offer my arm.

"If you're testing for the gene, it's impossible to find. The only reason we know it exists is because it behaves like a dominant gene. Once someone in the family has it, it tends to reappear every generation thereafter." I warn, not wanting him to get his hopes up.

"You're not a trained geneticist, are you?" Stark asks, raising his eyebrows as he preps my arm.

"Nope. But SHIELD hired the best to help with my research, and they didn't find anything in any of the samples I was able to collect. Though they also managed to confuse every sample I ever gave them, so take from that what you will…" I snort, looking across the table at Bruce, who offers me a small smile before turning back to the microscope in front of him.

"I thought you were the main researcher?" Stark mutters, intent on drawing the correct amount of blood.

"I'm super smart and can make connections no one else sees, but I am crap at lab work. I gave up trying and forced Fury to hire actual scientists to help me years ago." I smirk, remembering the very violent conversation that ended with me accidently floating Fury to the ceiling and then panicking so much I forgot to set him down. He ended up out of commission for a week and I was grounded for months.

"How long have you been working on your research?" Bruce asks, pushing the microscope aside to watch Stark work.

"It started as a pet project when I was younger. My sister and I were the only weirdos I knew back then, so it started off as notes in my diary, doodles on lecture notes. Then when I blew through high school practically before I was a teenager, Fury made Coulson allow SHIELD to study us. But then I had enough of that and made him give me permission to study it myself, under the promise that I would report all findings, physical and otherwise, to his scientists and researchers. A year later, I had complete control of the project considering most scientists have trouble believing in something they cannot see, no matter how much proof they have that it truly does exist." I say, moving my arm back to my side once the Band-Aid is on my arm. Seeing the decorations I smirk.

"Really? Ironman Band-Aids?" Bruce laughs, seeing where I was gazing.

"So I've got good taste. Sue me."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Good morning, Sunshine." I grin, pushing open the door to Kaitlynn's bedroom. She merely groans in annoyance at the noise and swats at invisible flies from where she is buried under her pillow. I take a moment to utterly enjoy the ridiculousness of the situation before I push forward and set the breakfast tray at the foot of her bed.

"Pepper makes a mean breakfast. I managed to save some from the fight that ensued once it was made aware there was someone cooking. Let it be known that the only reason I survived was because the God of Thunder is absent this morning, having finally procured the guts to go against Fury's wishes and find his girl." I start to ramble, knowing that the constant chatter and the emotions it brings forth will make Kaitlynn come up for air at some point.

"On another note, Agent Romanoff has made it quite clear she does not like me and I am almost positive she is sleeping with archer dude. I, however, decided to wait for your input as I always seem to misread people when I try to mimic you. Though I do not see how you are not out cold with this lot. Just this morning I got so many mixed signals from Steve alone that—"

"Shut up, Raven! It's too early in the morning for this crap!" Kaitlynn screams, pushing herself up so fast she sends blankets and pillows all over the place-including her breakfast tray.

"There goes the orange juice…" I mutter, watching said juice spread all over her blankets. Kaitlynn just stares at the stain and I sigh, knowing her brain is still waking up.

"Is there a washing machine nearby, JARVIS?" I ask, feeling like an idiot for talking to the ceiling.

"Just put it near the doorway, Agent Rider. The cleaning service will pick it up while you are out for the day." JARVIS responds, sounding oddly amused for a computerized AI.

"See. There you go. Problem solved." I smirk, watching as Kaitlynn carefully gets off the bed. She sends me a glare and rearranges the bed, making sure all juice stained coverings are removed and piled by the door before returning to look at her breakfast.

"What happened after I passed out?" She asks after a moment, looking thoughtful.

I lean back in my chair and tell Kaitlynn all about last night, including the fight Stark and Captain America got into about Thor going off without permission from Director Fury. I've never seen a couple of guys argue so much without actually coming to blows. It was amusing and frightening to watch, considering how tense Bruce had looked.

"Why didn't you stop them? It sounds like it could have gone downhill fast." Kaitlynn asks, stretching to help herself wake up.

"I didn't want to try. I was afraid Agent Romanoff would skin my alive if I tried anything. She was glaring at me like I was eating her pet bunny or something." I snort, shivering when I remember the icy glares.

"Do you really think Agent Romanoff is the type to have a pet bunny?"

"She had a pet tiger once. She had it before five days before Fury made her get rid of it." I turn at the new voice to find Agent Barton standing in the doorway to Kaitlynn's room.

He's wearing a form fitting t-shirt and blue jeans, something I'm not used to seeing agents wear. It suits him, though, and he almost looks like a civilian. If it wasn't for his super-toned muscles and the obvious way he plots exits, I wouldn't know any better.

"That I can believe." Kaitlynn says, breaking my from my trance. I turn back around to hide my blush, and Kaitlynn smirks at me knowingly.

"It was a pretty frightening work week. No one would talk to her, afraid she'd make it eat them. Even I was a bit frightened." He walks into the room and stops beside my chair, standing with his feet shoulder width apart and his arms relaxed at his sides. He still looks tense and like he is ready to jump into a fight at any time.

"I can imagine. She's frightening enough by herself." Kaitlynn laughs, shaking her head.

"Did you need something, Agent Barton?" I ask, turning my body to look at him full on.

"Yes, actually. I got a call from Agent Coulson this morning." He looks wary and tense, like he isn't sure how to act.

"That's nice to know." I smile, unsure what he's getting at.

"He told me Director Fury has given you permission to study my ability." Agent Barton looks unsure and worried, but I smile at him.

"I hope you don't mind." I say, surprised Director Fury caved so easily. I expected it would take weeks to wear him down.

"What exactly does that entail?"

"She'll mostly just watch you in the shooting range. Occasionally she'll ask you to see how you shoot while feeling different emotions. If you don't want to force yourself to feel those emotions, I have enough empathy to make you feel them." Kaitlynn pauses and I join in.

"I might mess with your diet a little bit, adjust your exercise routine. We'll try different times of day, different levels of sleep. None of it will be without your consent, though, and we probably won't even run blood tests. You will have a say in every step of the research."

"Why me?" Agent Barton asks, looking wary. I smile.

"You are the first person above twenty-five I've met that definitively has the invisible gene. Not only that, but you made a career of your gene without even realizing you had it. Most people with the gene aren't so successful, even if they know they have it."

"I would like to have Agent Romanoff with me all steps of the way. Just in case." Agent Barton says, making Kaitlynn smirk for no reason.

"Of course. Whatever makes you comfortable."

"When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. I'll just follow you on your normal daily schedule."

"Meet me in the hallway at five thirty sharp."

Agent Barton turns on his heel and walks out, seeming more relaxed than when he walked in. I watch him go and then turn to Kaitlynn, who's hiding giggles behind her hand.

"He totally likes you." she grins, sitting up straighter.

"Shut up."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"You can't be serious. Come on!" Stark shouts at the TV, looking dangerously close to throwing the Wii remote through the screen. I just smirk and turn back to my book, ignoring the arguing going on in front of me.

"You have to be kidding me! You were a damn Capsicle for seventy years! How did you learn to play Mario Kart?" Stark demands, throwing the remote down at the end of the race.

"I've been thawed for several months, Tony." Steve rolls his eyes and sets the remote down, moving to stand by Kaitlynn, who grins at him like a giddy schoolgirl. I roll my eyes at her actions and move to stand.

"As amusing as it has been watching Steve kick your ass, Stark, I am going to get ready for dinner. Where are we going, what do I need to wear, and where are we meeting?" I ask, meeting my father's eyes.

"It's a surprise. Something fancy. And right here." Stark says, checking off my questions on his fingers.

"Awesome. You coming Kaity?" I call, heading toward the door. Kaitlynn immediately starts following.

"Am I doing your make-up?" she asks with a grin, linking her arm through mine. I roll my eyes and sigh, purposely being overdramatic.

"If you insist."

"I do. Because we should look our best. It's not every day you go to dinner with your estranged father."

"Who just found out you're his kid but still let you move in with him and his superhero crew that even has a freaking awesome team name. Because that happens to teenagers all over the world every day." I snort, making Kaity stick her tongue out at me.

"You are so skeptical." she sighs, pulling me closer to her. I just smirk, pushing into my bedroom.

"I'm scared to go in the closet. You go pick something out." I say, throwing myself on my bed.

"You're wearing a dress." Kaity decides, pushing into the one door I haven't entered. The entire room is overdone and I have avoided the closet in fear of how overdone it might be. The bathroom was bad enough.

"Whatever you say, Sister Dear." I sigh, closing my eyes.

"This is it!" Kaitlynn calls. I sit up to see my sister coming toward me carrying a medium length purple dress. It's strapless and looks to be closely fitted. It has a black design on it that looks random at first glance, but upon closer inspection follows a set plan.

"It's not bad." I say in surprise, taking the dress from my sister. It's soft but sturdy, not flimsy like the dresses Kaitlynn favors.

"Do you have a strapless bra?" she asks, moving to my dresser. I just snort and roll my eyes. Like I would own something like that. I live in jeans and t-shirts.

"I need mine for my dress." Kaitlynn sighs, turning to look at me. After a minute she smirks. "I bet Agent Romanoff is the same size as you."

"No." I say immediately, shaking my head furiously.

"Do you want to wear this dress?" her eyebrows raise in my direction and I chew my lip. She's an empath. Of course she knows I want to wear the dress.

"I'll be back." I mutter, turning and leaving the room. It takes less than two minutes and I'm in front of her door, raising my hand to knock. Before I've had a chance, the door has opened and Agent Romanoff is glaring at me.

"What do you want?" she demands, her eyes cold. I keep my own face emotionless, masking how uncomfortable she makes me, and meet her eyes.

"I was wondering if you had a strapless bra I could borrow."

"Come on in."

I follow her into the room, surprised she didn't slam the door in my face. Her room is bare, decorated sparsely in red and black. It has the same basic layout as my room, hi-tech TV and all. Sitting in front of said TV is archer dude.

"Agent Barton." I greet quietly, standing awkwardly in the center of the room while Agent Romanoff goes to her dresser to retrieve the item in question.

"We're living together, Agent Rider. You have my permission to call me Clint." he looks away from the TV long enough to give me a smile before turning back to the action movie.

"Then you should call me Raven." I smile back, turning to Agent Romanoff as she brings me the bra.

"My first name is Natasha." she says as I take it from her hands.

"Would you like me to continue using your professional name, or is that permission not to?" I ask, relaxing my arms at my sides. Agent Romanoff gives me a tense smile and sends a look at Clint.

"I have been informed that it would be beneficial for us to become… friends." the last word comes out strangled and I offer her a small smile.

"You don't trust me. I don't know if I trust you. I say we leave it at that until we know each other a little better." I say, offering her an out. It's obvious that she didn't actually want to say that.

"You can still call me Natasha. It's not as long." she says, offering me a genuine, if not small, smile.

"Sounds good. And thanks for the bra." I say, turning to leave the room.

"It's no problem."


End file.
